After meeting Fedrica, we were assigned our apartments and given a little time to unpack (which I spent on skype) before assembling at our meeting place across the Fiume Adige, the river that runs through Verona. We meet underneath a tree behind San Fermo, one of the many Veronese cathedrals. Our first stop was the "bancomat"-very easily translated. Sounds like laundromat, but it's an ATM machine. To get to the bancomat, we first walked up a beautifully Italian cobblestone street. All the houses in the city are painted different colors like pink and yellow, and most have small balconies on each floor with potted plants, causing my group of photo and art students to stop every few feet and snap pictures like maniacal tourists (myself included).
When we saw this little outdoor cafe my entire group wanted to stop and eat there, but Federica confided with us that the food is not very good. What a shame :( She said she heard that they use frozen fish, and her expression of disgust was enough to make me frown on frozen fish too. We actually passed by the cafe later in the evening, but I added it here to get across the general atmosphere of the city. These kinds of places are everywhere!
One of the very first sights that we saw as we walked up the cobblestone street was this giant hole in the ground. I could see that it wasn't a fountain (there are many in the city) and was confused until Peter, the photography teacher, explained that it is the foundation from the ancient Roman city-two meters below the street! I learned that most of the Roman city, including it's paved streets, is intact about 2-6 meters below the present-day structures, and many houses are built on top of Roman archetecture. So cool!
Just a stone's throw away, we passed another ancient attraction: The Roman arch "Porta Leoni" that marked the entrance to the city! There are many, many archways in Verona, but this one was built during the Roman Republic, between 509-27 BC! That's before Jesus was born! Ahhh! It is also unique because the archetect carved his name on it, which was unheard of at that time. The base of Porta Leoni is underground, so there is a railing to ensure that viewers (and photography students) don't fall down the hole.
And right after that, we stumbed upon Juliet's balcony! If you've ever seen the movie "Letters to Juliet," you'll know where I'm talking about, only it's not as pretty in real life. I didn't know what it was at first because it looked absolutely disgusting from the street. Thousands, maybe even millions, of pieces of gum are stuck to the walls (some are shaped like hearts, I think), and hold love notes written to Juliet. Those without paper and pen just write with sharpies on whatever surface they can find. Obviously it's not a historical sight, since Shakespeare's famous story is a work of fiction, but in 1936 the house had a balcony built over the courtyard and declared itself to be "Juliet's House." What a money-making move! The courtyard and balcony have been a major tourist attraction ever since. I didn't get a picture yet, since the crowds outside were so thick, but I plan to go back [I did on May 28th, day 6]. My roommate, Julia, goes running in the morning with several other kids, and they stumbled upon the courtyard just as it was opening at 8:30am, before the tourists came. I plan to get up early and visit later this week. Then I'll have lots of pictures for you!
In all actuality, the walk from the church to the bancomat was probably 5 minutes, but there was so much to see! And when we finally reached the plazza where the bancomat was located, I could hardly think of anything but the beautiful city I was in! We had walked straight up the road into Piazza (delle) Erbe, the most beautiful market I had (and have) ever seen! Piazza Erbe is a tradesman's market, with lots of booths set up under shady umbrellas, and nestled within the old City Hall, scores of outdoor cafes, and this building with the most wonderful outdoor frescos! It was so crowded, however, that I couldn't get a good picture of the piazza as a whole. But I did get the frescos that I love so much! These cover the second and third levels of the building, while the ground floor is lined with busy outdoor cafes.
After everyone in the group had a few euros in their pockets, we marched onward to get . . . drumroll please . . . GELATO! There are gelato places everywhere, but Federica showed us her favorite place to go. I got strawberry and blueberry on a cone, which was heavenly!!!! It's not too sweet (so I can eat more of it), and doesn't make me thirsty like American ice cream does. I don't know why I haven't gotten gelato every day since then!
To get gelato, we walked along side the river, and I took this picture. There are two Roman arenas in the city, and you can see the older of the two on the hill yonder (in the center of the picture). I've been told that on occasion, the Romans would open up a channel from the river and hold gladiator fights there on floating rafts.
Believe it or not, we actually ate dinner after having gelato, haha! We marched across the city and into a small bar where Federica had reserved paninis for all of us. Turns out, in Italy "panini" or "panino" are words for sandwich, not just the grilled ones we Americans love so much. The paninis at the bar turned out to be literally loaves of bread (the long ones), with one layer of ham and one layer of cheese inside. They were monstrous. And the bread was tough. I think we gave our jaws a workout every time we took a bite!
Also during dinner, someone asked what the date was so they could set their watch and I answered that it was the 24th because it was my birthday! Everyone was astonished that I hadn't said anything yet, and they all wish me a happy birthday. Federica even lifted me off the ground!
After dinner, which we finished around 7, Peter and Federica made us promise to stay up as late as we could to combat the jet lag. They said we couldn't go to sleep until at least 8 or 9. I think I made it until 10 though, and was really proud of myself. I was exhausted and I slept pretty good, even with the terrible, terrible traffic noise from under my window. Also, my roomate, Julia (Julie & Julia!), remembered that I had a birthday during the trip, and brought chocolate to share with me! So we ate chocolate hearts on my first night in Verona :)
This picture is not one of mine. This belongs to Anna Latino, and was taken right after we got gelato together! Another girl, Jessica Voas, has a photo blog, so you can view her more professional-looking photography (she's a photo major) as well! Just click here or visit http://jessicavoas.myfotojournal.com.
Originally published May 28, 2012
